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Alban Berg, LULU, San Francisco Opera, 1998 Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle (...) And although the music relies on the densely wrought 12-tone techniques of Arnold Schönberg, the score shares with its predecessor, Wozzeck, a vein of lyricism and a melodic fervor that can make it particularly accessible at unpredictable intervals. On Saturday, much of that accessibility was attributable to conductor Stefan Lano, who made a superb company debut as a late replacement for Raif Weikert. The orchestra playing was precise and lush, and Lano guided the piece's close-knit ensembles with particular care. Stephanie von Buchau, Oakland Tribune (...) Yet the hero of this endeavor is clearly Stefan Lano, an American conductor making his SF0 debut. He played the music with precision and passion, rising to such eloquence at the end of Act Two that the redundant third act was even more regrettable. William Glackin, Sacramento Bee (...) But the central element in this success is the genius of Berg himself. His adaptation of Wedekind's plays is brilliantly effective, including a series of film scenes in Act Two which condense the action of Lulu's arrest, trial and incarceration. But above all, it is the expressiveness of the music, played with tremendous care and subtlety by the orchestra under Stefan Lano's direction that brings the story home to the audience. Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Examiner (...) Nevertheless, unimpeachable talent can often transcend dubious circumstances. In these surroundings, Frederica von Stade, one of the revivals few voices of international stature, dominated the stage in her first Countess Geschwilz. And, then, conductor Stefan Lano, making his debut in San Francisco, revealed a sure command of Berg's complex and intense score. Lano, an American conductor who works mostly abroad, found the score's internal forms, reveled in Berg's obeisance to jazz and lent stature and clarity to the interludes. One felt him holding back to accommodate his singers' limitations. With a first-rate cast, Lano would have been dynamite. - Georgia Rowe, Contra Costa Newspapers - Time Out (...) Led by American conductor Stefan Lano, who makes his debut with the company in this production, the score gets a full, eloquent reading. Berg's music is nothing short of electrifying-romantic and opulent, stark and urgent- and all of his jagged rhythms and voluptuous melodies, his startling bursts of brass and his jazz writing for orchestra, saxophone and piano- all sounds grand and inspired under Stefan Lano's baton. Home | Biography | Agenda | Reviews | Audio | Contact
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